Flag-adjusting assembly for flagpole



Aug. 13, 1968 R. F. MILBURN FLAG-ADJUSTING ASSEMBLY FOR FLAGPOLE Filed Dec. 13. 1966 United States Patent O 3,396,695 FLAG-ADJUSTING ASSEMBLY FOR FLAGPOLE Roy F. Milburn, 1240 Oakmont Road, 52L, Seal Beach, Calif. 90740 Filed Dec. 13, 1966, Ser. No. 601,448 2 Claims. (Cl. 116-173) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention is for an assembly or kit consisting of a looped wire member that can be readily mounted upon the upper end of a conventional flagpole, a companion looped wire member that can be readily attached to the flagpole at a lower point, and a flexible cord that has its two ends secured to the wire members and whose main portion has slidable engagement through the loops of the wire members. This cord has upper and lower doubled-back portions with slidable wire members thereupon for removably holding the flag and for predetermined limited up and down movement corresponding to the positions of full-mast and half-mast so that downward and upward movements of the middle part of the cord, that extends along the flagpole and is readily accessible to the operator, will automatically effect full-mast and half-mast positions, respectively. This assembly is particularly well adapted for use upon the familiar type of flagpole that is mounted at an angle upon the wall of a building, outside the window.

Background of invention This device pertains particularly to the manner of mounting the cord and the flag thereupon so as to facilitate movement of the same to position of either full-mast or half-mast. According to the prior art, the means for raising and lowering the flag usually consists of rope with loose ends that are fastened to the lower part of the flagpole in order to maintain the flag in position of full-mast or half-mast. While in some cases there have been employed an endless rope, such devices have entailed the use of pulleys and other mechanical elements and it has been necessary for the operator to determine the extent of lowering movement of the flag to half-mast position at the time of each such adjustment.

Summary of invention My present invention is designed not only to facilitate the raising and lowering of the flag to its desired position, but also to make possible a comparatively simple form of structure that requires less attention in operation and is less costly. A further object of this invention is to pro vide such an assembly that can be manufactured and sold to the user at a popular price and that can be applied in a simple manner to a conventional form of flagpole as a permanent installation for performing its function in a convenient and dependable manner.

Other objects of this invention will appear from the following description and claims when considered together with the accompanying drawing.

FIG. 1 illustrates the installation of my present invention upon a flagpole;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view that is partially distended so as to show how the parts are assembled.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing in detail, this invention is here illustrated as being applied to the familiar type of flagpole that is mounted outside the window of a house or other building although this same invention can be applied to other types of flagpoles. In one embodiment of my present invention, as herein illustrated, the flagpole P might be six feet in length and inch in Patented Aug. 13, 1968 diameter and adapted for a three by five foot flag F. The pole P is mounted in the familiar form of socket S here shown secured at an inclination to the outside of a house or other building.

The pole P has the conventional cap C with the two usual holes C and C adapted to receive and hold the downwardly extending end portions of the stiff wire attachment 1 whose middle portion is formed into three loops or openings 1a, 1b and 10. A flexible cord 2 inches long in the present illustration) has one end secured to the loop 1a and extends thence as a doubled-back upper portion, the bight of which is slidably engaged by the eye'of the U-shaped stiff wire hook member 3A; and the cord extends thence through the two loops 1b and 10 for frictional slidable engagement therewith. This cord 2, whose middle portion extends along the pole P and is readily accessible to the operator, continues through the two loops 4a and 4b of the wire member 4 and has a doubled-back lower portion, the bight of which is slidably engaged by the eye of the inverted U-shaped stitf wire hook member 3B, this end of the cord being aflixed to the loop 4c. The wire attachment 4 is of doubled form and is clamped about the flagpole P by means of the threaded bolt 5, nut 6, washer '7 and wing nut 8. As indicated, the bolt 6 extends through the suitably formed middle part 4d of the wire attachment 4 and the correspondingly formed end portions 4e of the same wire attachment 4. The hook member 3B is a duplicate and companion of the hook member 3A; and these two hook members are adapted to have removable engagement in suitably spaced conventional holes in one edge of the flag F, these parts being so constructed and arranged in assembly upon the pole P as to properly hold the flag edge substantially taut, as should be understood.

In case the regular cap C does not already have the holes C and C they may be provided; or there may be used at the upper end of the pole P, instead of the member 1, the same form of looped wire member 4 and fastening means therefor as herein shown at the lower point of the flagpole.

With the parts assembled in the manner above described and with the flag F mounted upon the two hook members 3A and 3B, as explained, the flag can be readily positioned at either full-mast or half-mast; and it is to be understood that there is sufficient frictional engagement of the cord 2 with the wire loops, through which it extends in taut condition, to ensure the cord 2 and the flag F remaining in the position to which adjusted until it is desired to change such position. Such positioning of the flag is effected by a mere up or down movement of the long middle portion of the cord 2 that is at all times readily accessible to the operator; that is to say, upward movement of the middle portion of the cord will lower the flag to half mast while downward movement of this portion of the cord will raise the flag to full-mast. And the parts are so constructed and arranged that the predetermined full extent of such upward or downward movement of the cord corresponds to and thus automatically ensures proper position of the flag at either half-mast or full-mast without there being required any calculation upon the part of the operator as to the proper extent of movement of the cord in order to achieve such positioning of the flag. The predetermined limit of upward movement of the middle portion of the cord 2 represents half-mast while the predetermined limit of downward movement of the cord represents full-mast. The lower attachment 4 is positioned at such a point upon the flagpole P that, when the hook member 3A reaches the limit of its upward movement, the flag will then occupy full-mast position; and when the hook member 3B reaches its limit of downward movement, the flag will occupy half-mast position. The several parts of this assembly are so designed and arranged as to assume this operative relationship when installed upon the flagpole in the manner herein described.

This kit comprises only the upper and lower wire attachments 1 and 4, a bolt and'nut' assembly 5, 6, 7 and'8 for securing the lower wire member 4 to the pole, a cord 2, and two duplicate wire hook members 3A and 3B for mounting the flag F. Thus I have devised a simple form of kit or assembly that can be bought and readily installed by the user at a very reasonable cost and that is adapted for use in a simple, convenient and dependable manner.

It is to be understood that the two attachments 1 and 4 are herein referred to as upper and lower and the movement of the cord 2 and the flag-engaging hook members 3A and 3B are referred to as upward and downward merely as a matter of convenience in describing the present illustration and such description does not limit this invention to any particular position of the flagpole upon which this device might be installed; and this expanation applies also to the scope of the following claims.

In addition to the above-noted advantages, this device upon having been installed upon a flagpole, can be considered as permanent as long as desired; there are no operative parts requiring attention and there is nothing to get out of order. Other practical advantages will no doubt suggest themselves to those who are familiar with the art to which this invention relates. It is also to be understood that the present form of disclosure is merely for the sake of illustration and that there might be devised various modifications thereof without departing from the spirit of my invention as herein set forth and claimed.

What I claim is:

1. A flag-adjusting assembly for a flagpole, comprising upper and lower attachment means with mounting means for removably affixing said assembly to said pole each of said attachment means formed with cord-guiding means, a cord having one end afiixed to said upper attachment means and its other end affixed to said lower attachment means and having its middle portion adapted to extend between each of said attachment means and along the pole, said cord having doubled-back portions forming bight portions between its afiixed ends and said cordguiding means, a flag-edge engaging member slidably mounted in said bight portions of each of said doubledback portions for up and down, movement therealong, said cord having slidable engagement through said cordguiding means for, effecting such movement bf said flagengaging members upwardly. anddownwardly, said assembly being so constructed and arranged that the edge of the flag, that is engaged by said members, will be held substantially taut and 'said flag-engaging members will have limits of up and'down movement corresponding to full-mast and half-mast positions of the flag, respectively, whereby up and down movements of said middle portion of said cord will adjust the flag to predetermined posh tions of half-mast and full-mast, respectively.

2. The same structure and operative arrangement as recited in claim 1 hereof and in which said upper and lower attachment means are each formed of one piece of wire with three integral looped openings, through two of which in each instance the corresponding end portion of said cord has slidable engagement and to the other of which the end of said cord in each instance is afiixed, and in which said flag-holding members are in the form of duplicate one-piece U-shaped wire hooks each with an integral eye portion in slidable engagement with the bight of the corresponding doubled-back portion of said cord.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,507,623 5/1950 Diaz 116-174 2,775,221 12/1956 Olson 116-173 2,853,046 9/1958 Meade 116-173 3,323,486 6/1967 Woolf 116-173 LOUIS J.. CAPOZI, Primary Examiner. 

